With reference to forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct?

It was considered a source of income for the State, a sort of tax paid by the people.

It was totally absent in the Madhya Pradesh and Kathiawar regions of the Gupta Empire.

The forced labourer was entitled to weekly wages.

The eldest son of the labourer was sent as the forced labourer.

APEDIA

UPSC Prelims

2019 • 02 Jun, 2019 • Paper-1

With reference to forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct?

Correct Answer

It was considered a source of income for the State, a sort of tax paid by the people.

Historical Context Analysis: During the Gupta period, 'Vishti' referred to a system of forced or unpaid labour extracted from the general populace by the state ......

💡 Analysis & Explanation

Historical Context Analysis ▼

During the Gupta period, 'Vishti' referred to a system of forced or unpaid labour extracted from the general populace by the state or royal officials.

Mechanism of Vishti ▼

It was legally recognized and treated essentially as a form of taxation that citizens paid in the form of physical work rather than currency or agricultural produce. It was neither paid with wages nor strictly limited to the eldest son, and inscriptions prove its existence in regions like Kathiawar.

Conclusion ▼

Option A perfectly describes the administrative nature of Vishti as an in-kind tax during the Gupta era.

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With reference to forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct?